For example, there is an apparatus which manages a plurality of devices centrally, such as an image forming apparatus and the like. Such a management apparatus inquires of each office device to acquire the state information on the office device. If the state of the office device is not good, the management apparatus carries out a mail transmission concerning the state of the office device to a maintenance server configured externally. The operator of the maintenance server receiving the mail notice carries out the sending arrangement of supplements or the arrangement of a maintainer.
In addition, the office devices include a device which transmits an alert trap to the management apparatus upon in the state that the amount of the rest consumable becomes less or a fault occurs. When receiving the alert trap, the management apparatus transmits a mail to the maintenance server, like does in the aforementioned inquiry.
Even in the case where alerts concerning the same content are not cleared, an office device, when powered on or recovered from a sleep state, transmits mails at given intervals many times.